


it’s friday night and we’re here.

by xjunelyn



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, plot without conflict
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:34:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22023436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xjunelyn/pseuds/xjunelyn
Summary: Eva spends another Friday night feeling left out, but her usual loner routine is interrupted by someone new.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	it’s friday night and we’re here.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is something I wrote when I was 19 and lonely. (You can tell by how quietly angsty it is lmao) I cleaned it up, and switched the format (I originally wrote it as a script, so I had to switch it to a short story format).  
> It's plot-without-conflict, which I know isn't a really popular thing in the West, and your college English professors will tell you that plot-without-conflict stories aren't actually "real stories." Fuck that lol I think you can write something meaningful without actually going anywhere. So yeah, I hope you enjoy. If original stories aren't your thing, then go read my Felinette fic lol I put a lot of work into that, too.

Eva lays in her unmade bed, one leg slumped over the side as she scrolls through social media. Overgrown bangs partially covering her dark eyes, she’s grateful to be half-blinded to what’s on the screen in front of her. Post after post of her “friends” having a fun night out on the town fly by, each image more exciting than the last. Sarah’s at a rooftop bar with her boyfriend Stevan, Rae and Mac are at some exclusive event downtown, and Janey’s probably doing nothing, but her outfit alludes to something extravagant. After scrolling past one more picture of a party she wasn’t invited to, Eva sighs, brushing her thick, wavy hair out of her face. She locks her phone, picks herself up out of bed, and throws a denim jacket over her black t-shirt and pants before heading outside.

The drive to the gas station isn’t as long as she remembers, and the cigarettes are cheaper, too. _Must be a sign, _she thinks, rolling her eyes at herself. _Oh, what the hell._ With another eye roll, she grabs an icee and heads to the checkout counter.__

____

Parked outside of the cemetery, she takes a long drag off her first cigarette of the night. Her eyes linger on the shadowy cemetery, all muted grays and browns under the half moon. Hesitant, she takes a step forward.

____

“Wild Friday night,” she mumbles to herself, exhaling smoke and reading the headstones. Hearing the slight rustle of branches rubbing together, she freezes; after all, it’s a breezeless night.

____

She spares a glance over her shoulder but finds nothing, creeping her out even more.

____

Another breeze. That can’t be right. Eva turns around once more, catching sight of a… she’s not even sure what passing by.

____

_Rough. _She really has no other word to describe the silhouette that passed before her. Never before has she seen such a jagged shadow, like shards of glass protruding from every surface, though light enough to wiggle with each movement of the figure.__

______ _ _

“Um…” she didn’t get a good look at… whatever that was, but anything that looked like _that _has to be in some sort of trouble. “Hello? Are you okay?”__

________ _ _ _ _

She jumps as a ghost pops out in front of her, cutting her hand on one of their rough edges in the process.

________ _ _ _ _

The ghost huffs, eyes downturned at Eva. “What is that supposed to mean? I’m doing just fine, thank you.”

________ _ _ _ _

Recovered, she eyes the ghost once again, dragging her gaze up and down their figure, fully taking them in. Yes, this is the silhouette she saw; its general shape rounded out at the top like a cartoon ghost you’d doodle in class, but sharp edges jut out at every angle on the figure with the same movement she observed earlier.

________ _ _ _ _

“Sorry,” she says with a small shrug. “I’ve just… never seen such a jagged ghost before.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a hollow-looking human before.” The ghost sticks their tongue out at Eva.

________ _ _ _ _

She reaches into her pocket for another cigarette, having dropped the first one during the jump. “You got me there.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Wait. You can hear me? And see me?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Nah, I’m just enjoying the insanity of conversing with myself.” She meets them with a flat stare. “Seriously though, you were being pretty loud; it’s hard to miss.”

________ _ _ _ _

The ghost pouted. “Was not.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Alright, maybe not, but if you thought you were alone in a cemetery on a breezeless night and heard rustling, wouldn’t that seem like a lot of noise to you?”

________ _ _ _ _

“I guess so. It’s just that most humans can’t see me. I don’t remember the last time I scared someone or had to be considerate of them at all.” As Eva takes another drag off her cigarette, the ghost finally notices her bleeding hand. They nod at it. “Hey, was that from me?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Yep.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Is it bad?”

________ _ _ _ _

Eva takes her icee and pours some of it over her hand, wincing at the process. “Ah, kind of, but I have napkins in my car. It’ll clean up fine.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Sorry about that. What are you doing here, anyway? Visiting a friend? Some old granny you vaguely remember from early childhood?"

________ _ _ _ _

“No, not exactly.” She takes another drag, eyes to the ground.

________ _ _ _ _

“I didn’t think so. I don’t know of any humans who would want to pay their respects on a Friday night when they could be out doing, um, anything else. So what is it, then?”

________ _ _ _ _

She kicks at a few rocks on the ground, sending them scattering. Silence falls on them for a few more seconds before she answers. “I dunno, dude. Just came here, I guess.”

________ _ _ _ _

The ghost snorts. “Ha, what a stereotype. Loner girl smoking a cigarette next to an underwhelming cemetery.” A few spikes retreat back into its body, but they don’t seem to notice. Or if they do, they’re unbothered by it.

________ _ _ _ _

There’s a spark in Eva’s dark eyes for the first time that night. “Look who’s talking! A ghost in a graveyard, like that hasn’t been done a million times before.”

________ _ _ _ _

The ghost hums, then goes silent. They stare out at nothing for a few moments, the spikes that disappeared earlier returning. As the silence stretches out, Eva feels an awkwardness palpable in the air. She glances around in search of anything to change the subject.

________ _ _ _ _

“Hey, I never got your name.”

________ _ _ _ _

The ghost finally looks up. “My name?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Yes, your name. Do you have one?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Yeah, I do. Or I did. It’s…” They concentrate on the sky above, searching the stars for some sort of answer. “Oh! Oh yeah, I remember now. It’s Danny.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Danny?” Eva repeats, smiling to herself. Cute. “I like it.”

________ _ _ _ _

“You do?” he asks. “I don’t think I have any opinion of it anymore. Hell, I forgot my own name, and who knows how long it was forgotten for.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Well, when’s the last time you talked to someone?”

________ _ _ _ _

“That’s an even bigger mystery than the name thing. What about you? What’s your name?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Eva.” She sticks her hand out for him to shake.

________ _ _ _ _

He stares at it, then his eyes dart between his own spiky hand and hers. “Not the best idea, Eva.”

________ _ _ _ _

She pulls her hand back to herself. “Right.”

________ _ _ _ _

Another awkward silence passes. Eva takes a drag off her cigarette, coming to a realization as she exhales. “So, um, I never thought to ask sooner, sorry, but does the cigarette bother you? Because if it does, I can put it out.”

________ _ _ _ _

Danny waves her offer away. “No, it’s fine, but thanks for asking. You know, you’re pretty polite for someone so hollow.”

________ _ _ _ _

“I try.” She puts the cigarette out anyway, reaching now for her icee.

________ _ _ _ _

Danny’s eyes widen. “Is that an icee?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Yep. You didn’t notice it earlier? You kind of made a face when I poured it over my hand.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Oh yeah. I was more focused on your hand at the time. So, what flavor?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Coke and blue raspberry, mixed.”

________ _ _ _ _

If Danny had a distinguishable nose, Eva imagined it would be scrunching at this answer. “Ew, what the hell?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Gee, thanks,” Eva says, her tone flat.

________ _ _ _ _

“Sorry. I haven’t had one in a decade or two, but I can’t imagine those flavors going good together.”

________ _ _ _ _

“A decade or two? God, that’s a long time without an icee. You want one now?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Really? You’d get me one?”

________ _ _ _ _

Eva shrugs and walks to her car. “Yeah, why not? They’re like 80 cents, dude. Come on.”

________ _ _ _ _

Danny follows behind to Eva’s worn down Honda Civic, letting himself phase through the front passenger door.

________ _ _ _ _

“So, I’m guessing a seatbelt warning isn’t necessarily for you?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Not unless you’re afraid for my life,” Danny says, a hint of a smile on the corners of his mouth.

________ _ _ _ _

“Not really,” Eva replies. She reaches across to Danny’s side and opens the glove compartment. Fast food napkins spill out, and she grabs one before it falls to the ground, placing it on the steering wheel and holding her cut hand over it. As she starts the car, an old CD begins to play; some soft, twangy voice croons about chasing love while psychedelic rhythmic guitar strings it along. Danny hums.

________ _ _ _ _

“What?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Not what I thought you’d listen to. I was imagining something a little, I don’t know, edgier. I like it, though; sounds kinda like the bands I used to listen to.”

________ _ _ _ _

“They’re about all I listen to these days. Do you not listen to music anymore?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Not really. Unless someone brings a CD player to the cemetery and leaves it behind on accident, which has never happened.”

________ _ _ _ _

“That sucks.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Someone brought a radio with a built-in CD player once, but they just used it to play that one sad song that’s always used in those animal shelter commercials. Are those still around?”

________ _ _ _ _

Eva chuckles a bit and watches Danny’s eyes bulge slightly when some of her opacity returns to her. “Yeah, those still exist; I know exactly what you’re talking about. That’s so corny. It must really suck though, having that as the only song you’ve heard in awhile. Hanging out here seems like it gets old fast.”

________ _ _ _ _

Danny shoots her a sideways glance. “Isn’t that what you do, though? I’ve never seen you in there before tonight, but I’ve seen this car parked outside a lot.”

________ _ _ _ _

Trying not to look bothered, Eva keeps her eyes on the road and her voice neutral. “Not really. I just smoke outside sometimes, but I don’t hang out there or anything.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Don’t you have any friends?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Yeah,” she snaps, head turned away just a touch. The sounds of the CD take over for an extended moment before her defense softens. “Well, kinda.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Kinda,” Danny repeats.

________ _ _ _ _

“They’re friends, but they come with a lot of conditions, I guess.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Like?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Like doing whatever they want and keeping my interests to myself, or being there for them whenever I can without really expecting to see it back. You know, that kinda stuff.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Maybe the definition of friendships has changed since I’ve been around, but that doesn’t really sound like friendship. At all.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Maybe it’s not.” Eva sighs, going silent once more. That opacity that filled her earlier now leaves again. Danny purses his lips.

________ _ _ _ _

“Then again, what do I know? I haven’t had any friends since the 80s.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Shit, the 80s? I’ve only been alive since then.”

________ _ _ _ _

“I’ve only been the opposite since then.” He gives her a little nudge, and she smirks. They pull into the gas station.

________ _ _ _ _

“Here we are: the best place to fill your Friday night void.”

________ _ _ _ _

Danny exits the car and looks around. Spotting a guy pumping gas, he passes through him, taking the man’s face as he goes. The man continues to pump, unaware. Eva looks at the chubby face Danny wears, eyebrows bushy with lots of patchy stubble on the cheeks. She raises her eyebrows, waiting for an explanation, but he just shrugs.

________ _ _ _ _

“Now I look like a human, just in case anyone else can see me like you do.”

________ _ _ _ _

Her eyes trail over to the man. “Is he gonna get his face back?”

________ _ _ _ _

“As soon as I’m done with it, yeah.”

________ _ _ _ _

“What if he leaves?”

________ _ _ _ _

“He can’t drive if he can’t see shit.”

________ _ _ _ _

“I guess.”

________ _ _ _ _

The convenience store bell dings as they walk in, Eva nodding in the direction of the icee machine and handing Danny a dollar. He races over, grabs a cup, and adds every flavor but Coke to it. Once they’re back outside, Danny passes through the still unbothered man once more, returning his face to him. With an icee in hand and his original grin back in place, Eva notices that he looks smoother than before. She glances back at the man, who’s now getting into his truck looking completely unaffected.

________ _ _ _ _

“It’s really that simple, huh?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Yeah. I pretty much do that for everything, including drinking.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Hold on, how do you drink it?”

________ _ _ _ _

He hands his icee to her. “Here, drink this. While you do that, I’ll pass through you so I can taste it.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Hmm. That seems like a lot of work.”

________ _ _ _ _

“I guess, but it’s worth it to me.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Why didn’t you just do that earlier while I was drinking mine?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Because then you wouldn’t be able to taste it. I’d pretty much be stealing your icee. Besides, it was coke and blue raspberry. Nasty.”

________ _ _ _ _

“I’m ignoring that.” Eva eyes the cup in her hands, its contents a muddy purple-brown from the mix of flavors. “So, it’s just the taste, right? I’ll still be able to feel everything else?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Yep.”

________ _ _ _ _

“So this’ll be my second icee of the night?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Right.”

________ _ _ _ _

“And I’m gonna have to pee in like five minutes.”

________ _ _ _ _

“If that’s how that works for you.”

________ _ _ _ _

“This icee’s costing me a little more than 80 cents, dude.” Hesitant, she takes a sip and grimaces. “Ugh, gross.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Keep going; you won’t be able to taste it in like two seconds."

________ _ _ _ _

She continues, sucking down about half the drink, and he passes through her. When they’re done, a little opacity returns to Eva once again.

________ _ _ _ _

“That was… I don’t know. Super weird. Let’s go.” She hands him the drink, and they get back in the car.

________ _ _ _ _

“Where to now?” Danny asks.

________ _ _ _ _

“Where do you want to go?”

________ _ _ _ _

“It’s your car.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Well, the destination doesn’t really matter; everywhere kinda feels the same to me. You’re the one who hasn’t gotten around since the 80s. Isn’t there any place you want to revisit?”

________ _ _ _ _

Danny spends a few seconds in thought before his face puckers. “No, not really.”

________ _ _ _ _

“…Okay.” Eva backs out of her spot and drives off. “Guess we’re going nowhere. God, were you always this dull?”

________ _ _ _ _

“What, as dull as you?” he bites out. "Yeah, pretty much.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Fine. I’ll just drive.”

________ _ _ _ _

She drives in silence for the next twenty minutes, until her CD comes to an end. She hits eject, and Danny finally speaks up.

________ _ _ _ _

“Got any more CDs?”

________ _ _ _ _

“That sound like that one? No. But this one’s my second favorite right now.” She pops the new CD in and skips to track three. A solo acoustic guitar intros the song, then a man’s rough, folky voice takes over.

________ _ _ _ _

“Hmm. I don’t know how I feel about this one,” Danny says.

________ _ _ _ _

“Give it time. I didn’t love it at first, either. It’ll grow on you.”

________ _ _ _ _

“And if I still don’t like it later?” he counters.

________ _ _ _ _

“Then you don’t like it. No harm done.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Oh. Okay.” His voice flattens, and he picks at a seam on the seat until he notices the car slowing down. He looks up to see Eva parking at the foot of a hill. They exit the car and start climbing.

________ _ _ _ _

"What is this place?”

________ _ _ _ _

Eva pulls out a new cigarette and lights it. “Another one of my spots.” She takes a drag and exhales. “You’ll like it when we get to the top.”

________ _ _ _ _

“And if I don’t?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Then you’re insane,” she states flatly.

________ _ _ _ _

“Hey, what happened to—“ he goes quiet when he reaches the top, taking in the view. There, below them, is a small lake with tall trees surrounding it on all sides that the hill doesn’t cover. The full moon is reflected in the lake, sparkling against the water and illuminating it all.

________ _ _ _ _

“You were right.”

________ _ _ _ _

“What, that you’re insane?”

________ _ _ _ _

“No, I like it up here. A lot. It’s really nice.”

________ _ _ _ _

They take a seat in the grass at the top of the hill. Danny stares at Eva’s cigarette.

________ _ _ _ _

“Can I have one of those?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Can you smoke it on your own?”

________ _ _ _ _

“Kinda. I can let the air pass through my body. It’s not the same feeling, but it’s cool in its own way.”

________ _ _ _ _

Eva lights a cigarette and hands it to him, watching how he smokes it.

________ _ _ _ _

“It looks the same.”

________ _ _ _ _

“From the outside.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Well, most things do.”

________ _ _ _ _

They sit quietly, smoking and looking out at the view. A few tears start rolling down Eva’s face; it takes a few minutes before Danny notices.

________ _ _ _ _

“Hey, why are you crying?”

________ _ _ _ _

“It’s part of the routine.”

________ _ _ _ _

“But tonight’s been different from your usual routine, right?” He nudges her softly. “It’s been fun! Or at least, I’ve had fun.”

________ _ _ _ _

Eva nods, speaking barely above a whisper. “Yeah, I’ve had fun, too.”

________ _ _ _ _

He now looks at her, puzzled. “I don’t get it.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Neither do I, dude.”

________ _ _ _ _

“I… I don’t know what to do.”

________ _ _ _ _

She sighs. “Neither do I.”

________ _ _ _ _

She starts crying a little harder, and Danny scoots closer to her, slowly bringing her head to rest against his shoulder. He sits there and lets her cry for a long time, until it slows down into nothing but a few small hiccups. When she fully stops, she looks at him with a weak smile. There are a few indents on her cheek but no real cuts from where she rested. Danny’s actually looking mostly smooth now, she realizes, and she’s mostly opaque. Ahead of them, the sun begins to rise overtop the trees.

________ _ _ _ _

“You don’t look as jagged as you did earlier, just so you know,” Eva says, her voice meek.

________ _ _ _ _

“You don’t look so hollow.” Danny smiles at her. “I need to get back, though; I can’t be out past sunrise.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Oh, okay. I’ll take you back now.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Thanks, but it’s kinda far, and I might not make it back in time. I’ll take us back.”

________ _ _ _ _

Eva looks up at him, brows pinched. “What? How?”

________ _ _ _ _

“I don't know how to explain it, sorry, but it's harmless. Do you trust me?”

________ _ _ _ _

Eva looks to the ground, then to his eyes. She smiles. "Yeah, I do." She pulls him in for a loose hug. When she realizes it’s not hurting her, she pulls in tighter. “Goodbye, Danny.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Bye, Eva.” 

________ _ _ _ _

The sun becomes hazy and Eva wakes up in her bed, disoriented. She unlocks her phone; it’s 7AM. In an attempt to wake herself up more, she begins scrolling through social media, everything starting to upset her like it did the night before, but then she notices something. A small cut on the hand that’s holding her phone. Now remembering how she spent her night, she smiles to herself and locks her phone, then turns over and goes back to bed.

________ _ _ _ _


End file.
